Environment

Climate Challenge: Not Enough EVs or Too Many SUVs?
Both are problems, but globally, sports utility vehicles sales are proliferating far faster than cars, be they electric or petrol-powered, posing a major challenge for governments committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Study: Hurricane Maria Killed for Months After Hitting Puerto Rico
According to new research, the tragic impact of Hurricane Maria lingered for months after the storm hit Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, and at far greater magnitude than the federal government has acknowledged.

After Harvey, Texas Tries State-Run Disaster Relief, With Mixed Results
The scale of the housing recovery effort means some jobs normally handles by FEMA have fallen to the Texas General Land Office.

Happy Hour: A Playlist of Songs About Water
Here's a concept we can get behind.

California's Coastal Marshes Face Extinction By 2110
Climate change and coastal development are combining to stamp out important ecological landscapes.

German Cities to Breathe Easier After Court Ruling on Diesel Car Bans
Unlike banning sales of new internal combustion vehicles at a future date, the German court ruling applies to the operation of older, diesel-powered cars in the country's most polluted cities. It's up to the cities, though, to enact the bans.

Affordable Housing Stock and Earthquake Risk
The city of Seattle needs more affordable housing, like most cities. It also has almost 2,000 existing affordable units at "high risk" in the event of an earthquake.

How We Can Better Integrate the Energy Industry into Eco-Friendly Planning
There are plenty of opportunities to green the world's energy production and consumption infrastructure, but it will take good planning.

Another City to Offer Free Transit on Bad Air Days
Brussels is the latest city to provide incentives for commuters willing to take transit in the name of air quality.

The Great Climate Change Migration
Climate change is already causing displacement on a massive scale.

The Most Toxic Place in the United States
The title for most toxic location in the United States goes to a remote, and perhaps surprising location.

Mapping Climate Change's Economic Impacts in the United States
A recent study from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) predicts some of the economic impacts of climate change.

Is CEQA the Main Impediment to Housing Construction in California?
According to a new study by UC Berkeley and Columbia University, local land use processes, specifically the approval process, rather than the California Environmental Quality Act, is the main impediment to housing production in California.

U.S. EPA's Enforcement Drops to Unprecedented Low
Polluters are going unpunished.

EPA Releases Draft Greenhouse Gas Inventory, 1990 to 2016
The inventory, a requirement from a 1992 U.N. treaty, shows emissions from most sectors are either decreasing or holding steady. The major exception: transportation.

Report Details the Long-Term Financial Benefits of Green Design
This report estimates that U.S. cities could save half a trillion dollars by investing in "smart surface technologies." The study takes into account obvious factors like energy use and less intuitive ones like tourism revenues.

Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Reenacted
Unlike Trump's suggested quarter-per-gallon gas tax, this 9-cents-per-barrel tax is real. Like the gas tax, it goes to a trust fund, to respond to oil spills rather than build and maintains roads. While small, it brings in $500 million annually.

The Vast Economic Footprint of the Outdoor Recreation Industry
The outdoor recreation industry grew faster in 2016 than the rest of the U.S. economy.

Where's the Interest in Electric Vehicles?
Policymakers, auto manufacturers, and especially advocates are very engaged in transitioning from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles. The problem is that interest isn't shared by the general public, according to research by UC Davis.

Montana Ski Resorts to Turn Wastewater into Snow
Using treated wastewater for snowmaking would have dual benefits for Big Sky, Montana.
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